Local rugby: Students pull off stunning comeback to shock rivals

Loughborough Students produced one of the club's greatest comebacks to stun Old Albanians on their own turf in National One.

Students trailed 40-7 with just 25 minutes to go before tries from Joe Atkinson, Chris Kinloch, Joe Burton and George Eastwell, all converted by fly-half Stuart Hall, brought them to within five points.

Hall then went off injured, so when wing Craig Dowsett equalised with three minutes remaining, kicking duties passed to leading try-scorer Craig Holland.

The full-back held his nerve to seal an astonishing 42-40 win.

Flanker Atkinson's early score and a conversion from Hall put Students 7-5 ahead, but an unanswered 35-point period left them with a mountain to climb.

But Students responded emphatically with a 35-point passage of their own.

Atkinson secured his brace to get the ball rolling and Hall slotted the extras before converting winger Kinloch's try.

No.8 Burton registered the bonus point after 62 minutes and a try from centre Eastwell followed with 10 minutes left.

Hall converted both efforts and an Old Albanians player went to the sin-bin before the late heroics from Dowsett and Holland.

South Leicester also rallied impressively in National Three Midlands.

The were 16-0 behind at Bourneville after half-an-hour and 26-24 down with just seconds remaining, but Dave Weston's try and a conversion from Joe Glover secured a 31-26 victory.

Chris Bale, Connor Smith and Danny Graney were also on the scoresheet, while Glover kicked 11 points.

Syston suffered a 22-6 defeat at Longton, which means they remain just outside the relegation zone.

Leicester Lions faced the opposite scenario in National Two North as they stormed 24-0 ahead against Luctonians before holding on to win 34-24 and move within three points of fourth-placed Preston.

Lions had the bonus point in the bag inside the half-hour, despite an injury to captain Gareth Collins. No.8 Jack Gibbons, winger James Stokes (2) and flanker Tom Morris got on the scoresheet, while Jon Boden slotted two conversions.

Morris received a yellow card and Luctonians halved the deficit with a try and a converted score either side of half-time.

Boden kicked a penalty before the visitors went for broke with five substitutions and landed a converted try with 10 minutes remaining.

A late score from replacement Rhun Jones was converted by Boden to secure a fifth successive win, although Lucs grabbed a late try-scoring bonus point.

There were hefty Midlands One East defeats for Market Bosworth and Loughborough, by 61-10 and 59-3 scorelines at Matlock and Bedford respectively. Gareth Bromby scored for Bossie and Chris Harding added five points with the boot.